Lupeol is a pentacyclic triterpenoid derived from the outer bark of paper birch trees (Betula paperifera). Lupeol is present at concentrations of about 1.5-3% of birch bark and at up to about 8.2% in Canavalia ensiformis, a plant widespread in the humid tropics of Asia, India, and Africa. A typical pulp mill that processes birch produces enough bark waste to allow for the inexpensive isolation of significant quantities of Lupeol.
Fungi infect humans and are a major cause of human health problems. They also infect plants and cause enormous losses in agricultural productivity. One class of fungal infections of mammals are the dermatophytic infections. These are fungal infections of the hair, nails, and skin. They are caused by fungi called “dermatophytes,” which include species belonging to the genera Epidermophyton, Microsporum, and Trichophyton. Among the species of dermatophytes are the following: Microsporum canis, which results in scalp and skin infections, mostly in children; Microsporum gypseum, which also results in scalp and skin infections in animals and humans; Trichophyton tonsurans, the major agent causing scalp ringworm; Trichophyton rubrum, causing skin, nail, hair, and scalp infections; and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, which can occur on all parts of the body surface.
Other fungal infectious agents include the opportunists that are likely to infect immunodeficient persons. These include Cryptococcus, Candida, and Aspergillus. 
Current agents used to treat fungal infections include the polyene antibiotics, including nystatin; synthetic azoles; and griseofulvin. Fungal infections are difficult to treat because, like humans, they are eukaryotes.
Currently, there is a need for new anti-fungal and anti-yeast agents. A need particularly exists for agents that will act against a range of species, including dermatophytic fungi, yeasts, and Candida. New anti-fungal agents would be less expensive to manufacture if they were abundant natural products or easily synthesized from abundant natural products.